Mt Buller chairlift auction part of last hurrah for Blue Bullet, Kooroora Hotel

One of the Blue Bullet chairlift chairs that will be auctioned off this weekend at Mt Buller. Picture: Andrew Railton, Mt Buller.

EVER wanted your own chairlift?

They weigh 120kg, seat four people and don’t have a leg to stand on, yet more than 160 people have registered to bid for one of the 60 chairs being auctioned off from Mt Buller’s 34-year-old Blue Bullet chairlift.

And that’s despite expectations most will sell for between $900 and $1000.

With the chairlift to be decommissioned at the end of this year’s ski season in October the chairs are being sold off to raise money for the Mansfield Hospital Auxiliary.

Buller Chair Lifts spokeswoman Rhylla Morgan said it would be a busy two weeks on the mountain with the Kooroora Hotel also calling last drinks on Grand Final Day next week.

The Kooroora Hotel on Mt Buller is calling last drinks on September 29. Picture: Andrew Railton, Mt Buller

The popular venue will shut its doors after September 29 before it is bulldozed to make way for a new pub, hotel, retail outlets and 21 apartments in its place — four of which remain for sale.

“We are going to be an emotional rollercoaster up here for the next two weeks,” Ms Morgan said.

“There’s the chairs auction, the pub closing and footy finals. The only thing that’s not going to end is the snow. We’re seeing conditions like in the middle of winter right now and had about 1cm of snow on Wednesday.”

A render of the development that will replace the Kooroora Hotel.

Kooroora Hotel operator Joe Maisano said it would be sad to say goodbye to decades of memories for many skiers.

“I am sure people will talk about the final night at the ‘Hoo Ha’ for years to come and my team looks forward to sending this legendary venue off in style,” Mr Maisano said.

The Blue Bullet chairlift will run until October 7 then be dismantled so a new lift, with room for six people on each seat, can be built on the mountain in time for next year’s snow.

After 34 years and 17 million passengers, not to mention the scene of numerous marriage proposals, they’re expected to be in high demand, according to Castran Real Estate managing director and auctioneer for the event John Castran.

“We already have over 160 registered bidders,” Mr Castran said.

Last year a Northern Territory couple tied the knot on Mt Buller before taking a ride on one of the chairlifts. Picture: Andrew Railton, Mt Buller

Despite the demand, there’s no clear sense of what the chairs will be used for.

“We have had lots of different ideas from people who want to landscape them into their gardens,” Ms Morgan said.

“But people get very creative with these things. They could wind up in ski shops and be painted and upholstered. Others might put them in their ski lodge or their home.”

It’s the second time a Victorian ski resort has auctioned off lift chairs, and Falls Creek Ski Lifts general manager Sharon Raguse said they had received an avalanche of bids for their Eagle Chair last year.

Many had since turned up in people’s gardens, as swings and even as suspended chairs.

“And the resort here will use some of them for seating and bus stops,” Ms Raguse said.

The Blue Bullet auction on Mt Buller will run in front of the A-bomb cafe, beneath the chairlift, from noon on Saturday, September 22.

Only people present and able to pay in full on the day will be able to bid.

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